


Jamming with History

by lovingmydreams



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: High School AU, M/M, Nerd Roman, Skater Virgl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29590185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovingmydreams/pseuds/lovingmydreams
Summary: Roman is a theater nerd. Virgil is a popular skater. They get put on a project together.You know this story.Yes inspired by the jam commercial.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Comments: 11
Kudos: 52





	1. Intro

Roman was a nerd. Not the kind his parents were hoping for, but a nerd nonetheless.  
He loved theater and history, well mostly the artsy and queer parts. He had a Tumblr account where half his activity was arguing back and forth with some guy who insisted on finding flaws and inconsistencies in his posts or his favorite movies. He loved that though. It was one of the few places he could really be himself, aside from theatre.  
Other than that he tried to keep to himself. There were certain individuals at school who took any excuse to mess up his day if he took up too much space in theirs.  
He was in the middle of drafting a passionate defense of Disney’s Hercules and the many references it held, already guessing what his online frenemie would have to say about it.  
It was a nice Friday afternoon. School was out and he didn't have to be home until dinner.  
He was sitting on a bench at the park. It wasn't his smartest move. Why?  
"Dude! You okay?" Roman looked up.  
The king of high school, Virgil Sanders had just fallen off his skateboard and was laughing it up.  
"Yeah, man. Told you. I bummed the reaper out ages ago. He's not coming for me any time soon!" he joked as he got up.  
That was why everyone, and yes everyone, liked him. Nothing seemed able to touch him.  
He was also one of the few people in school, who wasn't in theatre with him, that hadn't made Roman's life hell for no good reason. The same didn't go for his friends though.  
So sitting here, where they might spot him was just asking or trouble. Still, he liked to watch them skate.  
It looked cool, and was inspiring. He'd sketched and written a lot of good stuff in this spot. It was the fearlessness, the freedom... The very handsome guy laughing at his own misfortunes.  
No, not going there. Virgil didn't know he existed. If he did he'd probably treat him like crap like everyone else. They had English and history together, but they might as well be from different planets. And it would likely stay that way until graduation.  
That is until...  
"Alright, class. So this project will e for 40% of your final grade, and no, you can't pick your partner. First pairing. Virgil Sanders and Roman Fernandez."  
He was dead.


	2. First confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman officially meets Virgil. And he has a few expectations.

Roman looked over to Virgil's spot.  
He seemed very unbothered by this pairing. And why would he be? Roman looked like the kind of guy he could bully into doing all the work and getting him an A+.  
Which was true honestly. His parents wouldn't let him partake in theatre club or any artistic activities if his grade dropped below an A, on any subject they deemed important.  
In other words, everything not sport or art-related.  
History happened to be one of three subjects he actually was interested in. That along with English and Spanish.  
Roman was determined not to be bullied into this though. Not without some sort of fight.  
Virgil saw him looking and gave him a smirk and a two-fingered salute in acknowledgment.  
Roman gave a small wave in return before looking back ahead. He was so smug. Thought he had it made for this semester. But Roman would not make it that easy.  
Even if he did end up doing everything he'd be sure to gather evidence of how much work he put in to show the teacher at the end of the semester.  
That would show him.  
"Yo, meet me at the youth house after school. Four o'clock. Bring a list of subjects you like. Then we can figure out the details ok?" Roman looked up in surprise. Clutching his backpack to his chest.  
The teacher had told them they had to work on their project on their own time for now, near the end of the semester they'd get some time during class. Their period was over and Roman had not expected Virgil to approach him first.  
"The youth house? Shouldn't we go to the library?" he asked perplexed.  
Virgil chuckled. "Everyone will be there, Tatch. We're just brainstorming anyway. I don't have that much time today so don't be late. See you there."  
And just like that Virgil left the class.  
Roman was confused. That sounded almost like he was planning to contribute... Was this a trap? And why did he call him...? Wait, was that a Disney reference?  
The rest of the day Roman was mildly distracted, trying to figure out what to expect. He made the list Virgil asked for over lunch, but even then he was wondering if it was some kind of trick to flatter him into doing most of the work.  
On his way to his next class, he paid for his chaotic thoughts.  
"Watch where you're going, nerd!" Chad, quarterback of the football team growled as he shoved him against the locker.  
Roman clenched his eyes praying his glasses would survive this encounter.  
"Hey, Chad." Roman, along with Chad and his possy turned to see Virgil and his buddies approach them. "Do you have to be a walking cliché?" Virgil taunted.  
What? Why...?  
"Sanders. What do you care?" Chad demanded.  
"Other than me being a decent human being?" he asked. "Other than that ganging up on a guy who can't punch his way through a wet paper towel is just sad?" he continued. Some people laughed and Roman felt kind of insulted. He wasn't that helpless... Was he?  
"He's working on a project with me. I'd like him to focus on that, and not stress over you and your buddies being pieces of crap."  
He glanced back to his buddies, a few of them looked away, others nodded. What was that about?  
Virgil looked back to the jocks. "So listen. You want to stew in your toxic masculinity the rest of the year, fine. But you leave the rest of us out of it. Understood?"  
Chad let go of Roman, who stumbled back to his feet. Pulling his suspenders back onto his shoulders and righting his glasses.  
"Oh, and what are you going to do about it?" he growled lowly as he came toe to toe with Virgil.  
"One everyone take note. He did not deny the Gaston levels of toxic masculinity." Virgil grinned looking around, again some people laughed. "Second. You do not want to mess with me Chad. You don't scare me. Which makes me your worst nightmare. Now, back off."  
Chad huffed and stormed away, taking his team with him and grumbling something under his breath.  
Roman looked to Virgil who was being led away to his next class by his friends, getting praises and pats on the back. His whole group was stocked to have won that standoff it seemed. Roman meanwhile, was stuck on two things. One that was his second Disney reference, and two, was this how he was going to 'pay' for not having to do the work? Like some kind of mob boss?  
He should not have drawn that comparison, because his overly active information ran with that idea. The idea of Virgil in a suit making him, a struggling bar owner, an offer he could not refuse was a gay panic waiting to happen.  
But he had made his decision. He would refuse. He'd rather go through high school hell than sell out.  
One might argue that if he was going to end up doing the project with or without his help anyway to keep his parents happy he might as well negotiate as many perks as he could. But his pride would not permit it.  
So with his list and his decision in mind he headed to the youth house.


	3. Not like planned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman meets Virgil for their project. It's not at all how he expected it would be.

Roman hadn't biked anywhere this fast in ages. He didn't want Virgil to be able to bail and say that he'd made him wait. It was times like this that he regretted turning down his parent's offer to buy him a nice car. Yet again, his pride was in the way of being practical.  
"Hi there! How can I help you?" The man who greeted Roman when he arrived at the youth house was very energetic. He seemed really nice.  
"Um... I'm..."  
"Wait! You're Roman right? Virge said you'd be working for school together. I have you two set up in the attic, let me show you the way."  
Roman's head was spinning. "Um... You know Virgil?" he asked as they walked through the cozy living-room-like ground floor. There were shelves with games, DVDs, books, and art supplies. There was a tv and gaming system and many comfortable couches and beanbags strewn around.  
It looked like a nice place to relax.  
"Well he's my little brother, so yes. Name's Thomas. If you need anything just shout. He's up these stairs. Good luck."  
And just like that Roman was left at the stairs that would lead him to Virgil.  
Thomas was not what Roman would expect out of Virgil's sibling. He hadn't known Virgil had a sibling. One who looked to be in his mid-twenties.  
Roman took in a deep breath. Time to get this over with.  
He climbed the stairs and opened the hatch. He found Virgil sitting at a table with headphones on. He had clearly not noticed him coming in yet.  
Only when Roman closed the hatchet again, did Virgil look up. Recognition flashed over his face, closely followed by a grin.  
He took off his headphones. "Glad you found the place specstacular," he greeted. Then he gave him another once over and chuckled.  
"That eager to see me huh?" he teased as he reached into his backpack and tossed him a can of deodorant, which he barely managed to catch.  
Roman flushed and debated for a second turning it down. But he really didn't want to smell. Reluctantly, he sprayed some under his arms.  
"Take a seat. I've got my list right here," he shoved a piece of paper to an empty spot and held his hand out.  
"Show me what you've got." Roman approached the table, put down the can, and glanced down at Virgil's list. As far as he could tell it looked like he'd actually put thought into it.  
He dug into his backpack and retrieved his neatly folded list, took his seat, and handed the piece of paper over.  
Virgil started reading and Roman couldn't think of anything else to do but study Virgil's list. There were actually a few cool subjects.  
Studying how the social and political environment of the time reflects in artworks of that time period. Or a study of wartime propaganda versus the actual verifiable facts. Similarities in local folklore of communities all over the world. What was this guy's plan here?  
"I like the Greek mythology one," Virgil said, snapping Roman out of his thoughts.  
He looked up from his paper. "Really?" he asked. He hadn't been very hopeful Virgil would even get the idea behind it.  
"Yeah, there's a lot we can do with that. From how the Romans repurposed it, all the way to Percy Jackson. But do you think we could do the reverse as well?"  
Roman blinked. "Um... You mean the mythologies that influenced the greeks? I... Thought about it, but I figured that might get a little too much for one fifteen-minute presentation," he argued.  
"Yeah, you're right... Still, I think it's cool. It'll take a lot of research, but it's going to be worth it. We'd cover multiple time periods, which the teacher is going to love, and if we can somehow get rid of some assumptions due to modern interpretations of the gods then that'd be awesome."  
What... Why wasn't this guy acting the way he expected him to?  
"So I'd say we meet up at least once a week, either here, in the library, or at either of our places. Fair warning. My folks are... You met Thomas. So that times ten. Anyway. We can meet up, share what we've done, set up goals for the next meeting, and stuff like that. I gotta go now," he said as he got up and handed him another piece of paper. "That's my number, don't abuse it. We'll set up a meeting to divide the work ok? I have swim practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Other than that I can free up time in my schedule. After practice too of course. Sound good?"  
Roman blinked in confusion. What?  
"You know what. If you're free, let's meet up here again tomorrow, same time okay? If you want I can pick you up. To avoid another attack of the armlake monster," Virgil teased with a grin. "Take some time to think about the lists we can have a proper sit-down and discuss our options."  
Roman didn't like being dismissed like this. The more Virgil talked the more agitated he became. Was this how all their conversations were going to go? Virgil just waltzing over him like a steamroller?  
"Sorry, I really gotta go. Coach will kill me if I'm late. No amount of prizes gets that guy off your back I swear," he laughed as he started to leave.  
Roman jumped up finally fed up. "What was that whole performance of earlier about? Aren't you and Chad both elite? Why start a war over me?" That had been the most puzzling. Last Roman checked, the football team treated Virgil, and by extension his friends like allies. Like they belonged in their part of highschool life.  
Virgil froze, he didn't look back. "I don't need his type to like me, Fernandez. And if I did, I don't want them to. Let's just say I've been itching to call him out for years. I just never caught him red-handed." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Listen I know that some of the others haven't been cool to you. I can try and defend them, but it was crap of them to do it regardless. They promised it wouldn't happen again. So you don't need to worry alright? We can just do this project in a way we're both cool with. You don't have to go out of your way to make me happy. Got it? Talk to you later. Let me know if you want that ride."  
And just like that, he was gone.  
Did... Did Roman misjudge Virgil that much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! There is still conflict in this story, but not between Roman and Virgil. Stay tuned for more.


	4. Beyond the first impression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and Roman both learn that there is more to each other than they expected.

Roman had trouble focusing on anything the rest of the day.  
That evening he found himself lying on his bed. He kept glancing at the new name in his contacts and thinking about what to do.  
Should he take Virgil up on his offer to give him a ride? Was that his next move? To show that he believed that Virgil had good intentions… what did Virgil even drive?  
Suddenly he wondered if he had made wrong assumptions about Virgil... How did Virgil see him?  
He tossed his phone into his pillows and got off his kingsize four-poster bed. He studied his image in his full-length mirror.  
The white button-up shirt, the red suspenders, and bowtie, the beige knee-length pants, the unflattering glasses, the yellow socks.  
He looked like a textbook nerd. There was no way around it.  
He looked around his room, which was about 400 square feet and decorated with Disney merch, signed broadway posters, and state-of-the-art technology.  
Spoiled nerd. That was probably what his classmates thought of him.  
And clearly, Virgil had expected him to be a spineless coward, who'd do anything to avoid another torment. He didn't know how to show that he wasn't.  
He didn't know why he wanted to. Maybe to even the score.  
He was feeling bad for assuming he knew what Virgil was like, he'd even assumed things about what his family was like. And he'd been so wrong.  
So, maybe it was a pride thing. If Virgil had him wrong too, then they were even and he didn't have to feel bad or stupid.  
Roman nodded to himself. He picked up his phone, sent Virgil a text, and sat himself at his desk. He pulled the list out of his backpack and took a blank piece of paper from his notebook.  
He considered each of Virgil's suggestions carefully and tried to find arguments in favor and against each of them. He was going to give this project his all. He would keep his head tall and show Virgil that he was made of tougher stuff than he thought.

“Roman dear, good news. I’ll be able to drop you off at school tomorrow.”  
His mother’s announcement during dinner took Roman of guard.  
“Mother, that is very kind. But I’m fine taking my bike,” he assured her.  
“It is no trouble honey, you shouldn’t exert yourself every morning like that anyway,” she argued.  
Roman knew there was no way that there wasn’t some kind of catch. “It’s not even that far. I cut through the park and I’m there in 20 minutes. Besides, I wouldn’t want you to worry about picking me up,” he pointed out. None of his parents’ cars were the kind that could accommodate his bike.  
“Nonsense! If I don’t make it I’m sure you can have one of your friends give you a ride?”  
Oh, he saw where this was going.  
“I have to meet a classmate for a project, I told you this. All my friends will be home by the time I’m done,” he pointed out.  
“Oh, well, perhaps your classmate can maybe give you a ride? Or you can walk if it’s truly not that far. You know if you’d let us just buy you a decent car then we wouldn’t have to have this conversation sweetie.”  
There it was. The car thing again. He’d explained all his reasons for not wanting a car countless times before. Not including the one where he didn’t want his parents to hold it over his head.  
“Yes mother,” he sighed.

During lunch the next day, Roman sat with his fellow theater kids. They had theater before lunch and extra rehearsals on Monday and Friday. Normally, they'd talk about rehearsal or study their scripts together. But now… “And then she apologized! Like not just for running g into me, but for being rude in the past! Like… she really seemed to feel bad bout it.” Jo exclaimed from their spot on the picnic table. They had encountered one of the skaters earlier that day, Jane. A girl who'd given all of them grief in the past. She didn't go out of her way to bother them, but they all tried to avoid getting in her way just in case.  
“Man… Roman please tell me you didn't negotiate with the skater king,” Xander pleaded.  
Roman shook his head. “I didn't get the chance. He had to get to swim practice. We barely had time to exchange numbers and ideas.” He didn't mention Virgil's reassurance. It felt personal.  
“Well if he tries something, don't worry about us ok?” he insisted, supported by a firm nod from the others. Roman frowned a little. “I’m pretty sure it won’t come to that. Virgil seems like a good guy. I mean he’s never been rude to me. How about you guys?”  
A silence fell over the group. “Well… I suppose… I think he’s been rather friendly every time we did happen to cross paths,” Zaineb offered.  
“See? Maybe him standing up for me yesterday made them realize they were kind of rude to us in the past and they decided to be nicer? I mean, Jo, you said Jane seemed genuine in her apology right?”  
Jo nodded. “Yeah, I mean it didn’t feel like they were forcing themselves to do it. Like when a teacher tells a bully to say sorry and shake hands,” they admitted.  
“Exactly. So… I don’t know… I want to try and give Virgil the benefit of the doubt here. I’m meeting him again tonight, so we’ll see.”  
It was Xander who ended up giving Roman a ride to the youth house.  
“What is it even like in there?” he wondered.  
“Pretty cool actually. Virgil’s brother works here. He’s a really nice guy. We should hang out here as a group sometime,” Roman answered a little absentmindedly as he read through @JLHawkings’ latest reply. They were still stuck on the Hercules debate. Going through everything from Disney using the Roman spelling rather than the Greek one, to the rearranged timeline of the myth and Megara’s true fate. At this point in their discussion the Disney movie wasn’t even brought up for several back and forts. They had been discussing the ins and outs of the myth. Roman tried to argue that Megara was Heracles’ true love and that was why any relationships he had after Hera messed him up failed miserably. Hawkings, on their part, made the admittedly interesting argument that Heracles was dissociating and acting like his actions had no consequences because he was still in denial about what happened to his first wife and two sons.  
But in their most recent reblog, Hawkings had more or less concluded that they agreed on the topic, they just worded it differently, gone back to the movie and brought up the topic of Hades.  
With a smirk Roman replied: Massive queer energy. Prove me wrong.  
He had no clue why it’d taken them this long to start this topic. Most early Disney vilains had that same energy. Ursula was even based on a drag queen. Maybe he was a little worried to discover that his online friend was a homophobe.  
By the gods he really hoped they weren’t . Then again, Roman had posted pride stuff in the past, so they probably were okay with the queer community. If not they would have said something for sure.  
“Well, here we are… Do you think I could check my mail for a sec in there?”  
Roman smirked at Xander. “You just want to check the place out don’t you?”  
Xander just shrugged and followed him inside.  
“Roman! Hi!” Thomas grinned in greeting. “Virgil is upstairs. And who’s this?” Xander took a step back, clearly surprised by Thomas’ energy. “Thomas, this is Xander, a friend of mine from Theatre. Xander, this is Thomas Sanders. Virgil’s older brother.”  
“Oh! So you guys are theatre kids as well huh?” Thomas asked enthusiastically.  
“You head upstairs Roman, I’ll entertain your friend while you are busy.”  
And with that Xander was led to the basement with a bewildered expression and a final look at Roman. Roman knew that his friend was trying to make sure everything was okay here.  
Roman waved him off. He didn’t feel like he had anything to fear. He was prepared.  
Xander most likely wouldn’t be able to stay long enough to give Roman a ride back. Not if he and Virgil actually were going to get some work done today.  
They’d most likely work until it was time to head home for dinner.  
At least, if things went well.  
Roman took a deep breath before heading up.  
Once again he found Virgil listening to music in the same spot. How did he get here sooner than him? He understood yesterday when he came by bike. But now…  
“Hey Princey. Ready to do this?”  
Roman straightened his posture. “I was born ready,” he declared confidently as he took out his notes. He gave Virgil his paper and sat down.  
Virgil quirked a brow at him before reading through his notes. “You really put thought in this huh?” he muttered after a few moments.  
“I figured the faster we decide on a topic the faster we can get to the interesting stuff,” Roman reasoned. Virgil nodded. He took out some papers of his own. “I wasn’t as thorough as you. If something isn’t clear just ask,” he offered.  
Roman took the papers and hesitated. “Jane apologized to Jo today,” he said.  
Virgil looked up, seemingly very surprised. Pleasantly surprised.  
“She did?” he asked. Roman took this to mean that Virgil had indeed not asked her to do that.  
“Indeed. Took Jo entirely by surprise,” he informed him.  
“Well I’m glad. Jane doesn’t do apologies easily,” Virgil mused as he returned his attention to the papers. Roman sensed the silent request to let the topic rest and followed his project partner’s example.  
It seemed Virgil was honest when he said he liked the idea to track Greek mythology through the ages. He had lined out a few ideas on the topic as well as how they could present it as personifications of Tragedy and Comedy. Something like good cop bad cop.  
“So… What do you think?” Virgil offered after a few minutes.  
“Well I’m kind of sold on your good cop bad cop idea for Greek Mythology through the ages,” Roman admitted.  
Virgil seemed to relax a little at that. “Cool, I was kind of sold on the topic as well, so… We’re agreed then?” Roman nodded.  
Virgil leaned back and stretched himself. “Awesome. I was thinking we could figure out a basic idea of the outline of the whole thing so we know what topics to look into, what we already know and where we are lacking. Then we can divide the work a little and stuff like that. But first.” Virgil got up.  
“I’m going to get some drinks. What do you want?”  
That was actually a good idea… “Apple juice if you have it. Otherwise I’m fine with water.”  
Virgil nodded and left the attic. Roman relaxed once the skater boy was out of sight. He checked his phone. Xander had let him know that his mom had called him home. So he was stuck walking after the meeting. He told Xander that it was no big deal. And it wasn’t. It was just a slight inconvenience.  
He’d ask him how things went with Thomas tomorrow.  
“I noticed you left your white iron steed in the stables today,” Virgil noted when he got back.  
Roman accepted his juice and took a sip. “Um, yeah. Mom insisted on driving me,” he explained.  
“Nice car. Are you going to get one of those for college?” Virgil asked.  
College. Roman would have no choice but to get a car then. He would be 18 then of course so he could use the trust fund his grandparents had set up for him. He could even buy a real cheap second hand car. And once there he could get a job to replenish his fund and pay for his living space and essentials. He’d get two if it meant having to rely on his parents a little less. Of course he couldn’t turn down their offer to pay for his studies. He could apply for a scholarship, but he wouldn’t take that spot from someone who actually needed it. He could sacrifice a little pride for that.  
“Are you okay?”  
Roman looked up in shock. Clearly he’d zoned out. “Yeah… Just thinking of how I’ll get home.”  
Virgil frowned. “Wait… So your folks aren’t picking you up?” he asked.  
Roman let out a humorless laugh. They might. If he asked nicely. And suddenly his irritation all came pouring out. “I’m not going to ask them. Not if it gets me another lecture about how much more convenient it’d be if I let them buy me a car,” he growled.  
“No matter how often I say that the school isn’t that far and I rarely need to go far enough to justify getting in a car. Or bring up the environmental and health benefits of using my bike… They just keep insisting I should let them buy me a ‘proper’ mode of transportation. Which means they’d be picking one they like for me. And then they’d probably hold it over my head to push me to go to a certain college or pick a certain study. Which they’ll probably do anyway because they’ll be paying for that regardless. But it’s the principal…” Roman stopped himself. Why was he saying all of this to Virgil? Wasn’t he going to show him that he wasn’t fragile?  
“Man… That sounds pretty messed up,” Virgil offered sympathetically.  
Roman immediately felt guilty. He shouldn’t talk that way about his parents to a virtual stranger.  
He took a deep breath to calm down. “They don’t mean to be… hurtful. They just want what’s best for me. For me to impress the right people and have the best possible chance at life. I mean, they aren’t the biggest fans of me being in theatre, but they’ve always tried to make it to my plays. And when they can’t make it, they usually treat me to something special to make up for it. They are supportive, and proud of me. I know that. But… They just… Don’t get me.”  
And they’ll sometimes go to great lengths to make sure he had what they thought was the best chance at a good life for him.  
“Meaning well doesn’t mean their actions can’t hurt…” Virgil muttered. Roman looked up. Virgil’s tone of voice was so much more sorrowful than he’d ever heard it. Usually he was the type to laugh everything off. He wasn’t optimistic exactly. But it seemed like he expected life to suck and took it in stride. Like he laughed about it out of pure spite.  
If life gives you lemons juggle them and eat them raw with a smile.  
Virgil was staring at his hands which were playing with his pen as he contemplated his next words.  
“Some stuff happened back in middle school, and my folks and Thomas tried to protect me by staying positive and pretending it was all fine. But it wasn’t. I was…Upset, but I couldn’t talk about it with them because I felt like they didn’t think it was a big deal. I got really mad about it one day. We are still sorting everything out. But we’re getting there.”  
Roman was in awe of this moment of vulnerability. This brief glimpse into his past.  
“I, guess I see your point,” he mused. Not sure what else to do.  
Virgil shook his head. “Let’s get back to work. Break time is over,” he smirked. Devil may care attitude back in place. But now Roman wondered… What had happened to make Virgil act that way?  
The topic got ignored by both teens however. They worked together on the project. They decided to start with collecting as much information as they could about how the heroes and myths of the Greeks made their way to modern times, each taking charge of different time periods.  
They’d send each other their research in exactly one week. Then they’d meet up again on Thursday, giving them both a little time to go over the collected information. It wouldn’t have to be anything in debt yet. That was for after they decided what to use for their actual presentation.  
Roman found himself actually enjoying working with Virgil. The unexpected moment of vulnerability from both of them got rid of any remaining tension. And perhaps some misgivings.  
“Hey can I ask you a few questions?” Virgil asked once they started packing up.  
“Um, sure,” Roman said curiously.  
“The outfit… That’s not your idea right?”  
Roman sighed and nodded. “Dress for the job you want… Or dress your son for the career you want him to want. They think that if I dress like this, I’ll attract the ‘right type’ of people.”  
“I’m probably the opposite of who they had in mind huh?” Virgil smirked.  
Roman chuckled. “Mother would faint if she knew. Not that there is anything wrong with you, or anything. But… She’d probably assume you have some sort of record.”  
Virgil chuckled. “Is that why you spy on us in the park? Silent rebellion?” he wondered.  
Roman flushed. “Um…” It was probably easier to show him. So he laid open his sketchbook and his notebook. Virgil looked it over.  
“I watch to study how your clothes and bodies move. How gravity affects you. How the light changes.  
It helps with writing and sketching.”  
Virgil nodded as he studied a drawing of a warrior in battle based on one of the jumps Roman had watched them make. “Cool… Last question”  
He looked up with mischief in his eyes. “What do you say we play a harmless prank on your folks?”


	5. The plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If people are going to make judgments anyway, you might as well have fun with it.

Roman stood there for a few moments utterly confused.  
“A prank?” he repeated.  
Virgil nodded. “No property will be damaged or anything remotely illegal or morally questionable. Think of it as a social experiment if that helps,” he offered.  
Roman narrowed his eyes. “I only dress like that would interest me Sanders,” he reminded him.  
Virgil chuckled. “Right, Sorry. Well think of it as a new form of theatre. A two man show with an interactive audience. We can bring in guest stars and everything.”  
Now the skater was speaking Roman's language.  
“That… sounds interesting. I take it my parents would be the audience.”  
Virgil nodded and started leading the way outside. “If they want you to retire your bike so badly. I'll just let you tag along with me,” he explained.  
“You said they'd assume the worst of me based on how I dress alone right?” he recalled.  
“Yes…” Roman confirmed starting to pick up on where Virgil was going with this.  
They got outside. “Now what would they think of me if they spotted me dropping off their little angel with Paranoia?”  
Roman was about to ask what Virgil was talking about when he saw it.  
Paranoia was a very cool looking motorbike. Band names and Logos strategically spray painted in hues of purple on the black framework. There were also purple flames on the engine and there was a chain of charms wrapped around the handles.  
Virgil was looking at the machine with pride.  
“My uncle and his partner pimped her up. She’s the most eco friendly bike in the world but still looks and sounds like your folks' worst nightmare I bet.”  
“Wow…” Roman breathed. Did he really live so sheltered that he never realized Virgil rode a bike like this? He always wore a biker jacket to school. And for all the times he'd watched them skate, surely he should've spotted this thing at some point.  
“The idea is to let their own assumptions drive them mad. “ Virgil explained. “I pick you up and drop you off for the rest of the semester, or until either of us wants to quit.”  
Roman nodded. “We can imply anything we want and let them fill in the blanks,” he realized with a careful smile. All kinds of ideas popping up in his mind. It would be fairly harmless. If his parents got too upset he could reveal that they were wrong about Virgil and they'd learn that they don't always know better.  
“Ok… so the rules.” Virgil's voice pulled Roman back to reality.  
He put up a finger. “One, communication. This will ask for a lot of improv, and for it to work long term you won't be able to straight up lie to your folks anyway. But any big additions to ‘the story’ we imply should be discussed or at the very least we should give each other a heads up if something changes so we both have time to adapt. Not to mention it has to be fun for us both.”  
Roman nodded that was reasonable. And smart too.  
“Two, trust. There is a chance we might learn stuff about each other the other person is not comfortable sharing with the whole world. This only works if we can trust the other to respect that.”  
Roman nodded. That was reasonable too. And mutually beneficial. Roman suspected Virgil worried he’d learn a little too much about whatever the middle school event was he mentioned earlier. And well, Roman wanted his private affairs to remain private as well.  
Virgil opened up the seat of his bike and pulled out a helmet and a spare jacket. “Rule three. Safety first,” he winked as he handed them to Roman before putting on his own, and placing his backpack in the compartment. Once he closed the seat again he turned to Roman who was just standing there, suddenly very nervous about this plan. He’d never ridden on a motorbike before.  
“Come on,” Virgil said patiently as he took the jacket and held it open for him. “Florida might be hot all the time, but you'll still get chilly without this,” he assured him.  
Roman carefully placed the helmet on the seat and turned around letting Virgil help him put the jacket on. “There you go your highness,” Virgil teased as he zipped him up. Then he picked up the helmet. “Now please accept this crown so it may protect that pretty face of yours,” he said theatrically.  
Roman could feel a blush rushing up. He hid it by directing his attention to his backpack. Retrieving his case for his glasses to put them away. “So you think I’m pretty, is what you are saying?” he shot back as he righted himself. Running a hand through his hair to keep himself from fidgeting.  
His sight was a bit blurry without glasses, but Virgil was close enough for Roman to see. He had his head tilted sideways and was pursing his lips thoughtfully.  
“I suppose I do,” he admitted casually as he put the helmet over Roman's head carefully visor already down.  
Roman was glad. It hid the fact that his skin was probably the color of a fire truck right now.  
In a practiced, elegant set of movements Virgil got on his bike, took it of it’s standard and turned it on. The engine roared like a tiger. “Get on!” he instructed as he reved the engine again and pulled down his own visor.  
Roman swiftly pulled his backpack straps over his shoulders and got on, only now realizing that he'd be really close to Virgil during the ride. Not only that but… “If you aren't comfortable holding on you best get off and walk home anyway,” Virgil warned. Roman steadies himself and wrapped his arms around Virgil's waist.  
“Here we go!” Virgil warned before taking of. Immediately prompting Roman to hold on tighter. It was terrifying, but in a fun way. Not just in the way a rollercoaster was terrifying but… it felt good. This act of rebellion his parents couldn't be mad about. Mother had suggested herself that Virgil could give him a ride. It wasn't Roman's fault that that ride was something she'd hate.  
They arrived at the front gate in a matter of minutes. Virgil probably thought he'd drop him off here, but Roman took out his keys and pressed the button that would buzz him in. It was thumbprint activated, so not just anyone could use his key.  
The gate opened. “Go big or go home right?” Roman called out. The knowledge that the security camera’s would catch everything, was exciting. His parents would be able to watch the whole thing even if they weren't watching right now.  
He felt Virgil's laugh more than he heard it as the skater took off. He sped down the driveway and skidded to a stop. Making Roman cling to him for dear life.  
Once he was sure they stopped moving he slowly relaxed his limbs and got off.  
“You okay? I just wanted to make it a show for your folks.,” Virgil wondered, though the laughter was still evident in his voice.  
Roman wanted to be more annoyed, but he was still full of adrenaline and giddiness.  
He took of the helmet and ran his fingers through his hair, making it messier than it's ever been in public, but anything was better than helmet hair.  
“I'm fine,” he sighed as he moved to hand the borrowed helmet back. Virgil waved him off.  
“Keep them. You'll need them tomorrow anyway.” He said. It was weird talking to him while he was wearing a helmet. Roman couldn’t see his face at all.  
“Ok. Thanks. See you tomorrow?”  
“Pick you up at 8. Wouldn’t want to be late. Do you want me to drop you off before we get there? Or…”  
Oh… Virgil thought he wouldn’t want to be seen riding with him?  
He’d ask about that later. First, he apparently had to prove that he was nothing like his parents, in this regard. “No. We have English first period, so we can talk before class right?”  
Virgil hesitated. Wait… Was he hoping Roman wouldn’t want to spend time together at school?  
Then he nodded. “Ok. Oh and Princey. I almost forgot rule number 4.”  
Roman cocked his head. “What’s that?” he asked.  
Virgil flipped up his visor, reached for Roman and pulled him close by the suspenders.  
“Someone is watching us. I thought this would be funny. Don’t forget our agreement ok? Keep it fun for us both. And we can’t forget about the project. That is more important. I don’t think either of us really want our average to drop over a prank,” he muttered before letting Roman go and taking off again. Roman swallowed thickly. That was unexpected.  
Not that he was too affected… He was surprised to find that Virgil had freckles under his eyes. That’s all. And there was a little circle of gold around his irises contrasting against the deep brown, almost black. Nothing more.  
He turned around and saw that it was in fact his mother standing at the window looking quite shocked. Her phone in hand, clearly she’d been expecting him to call her.  
He gave her a wave before he headed for the front door. This would be interesting.


End file.
